The Unsung Hero
by bloomsburry
Summary: Death took pity on the Dark Lord in the eternal limbo. As a consequence, Tom Riddle was given another chance to live, but with one condition of course. Riddle must learn how to love and protect in a world where killing was a norm. Reborn as the son of the most powerful Clan in Konoha, Tom Riddle becomes the Unsung Hero of the Shinobi World; Uchiha Itachi.


Death looked pitifully at the infant-like monstrosity beneath the bench of the King's Cross Station; the eternal Limbo that had been set up specifically for the creature. The abomination was forced to watch while souls after souls past him by and board the train to the afterlife, and leaving him beneath the bench time and time again.

Some souls had even tried to take the little creature with them, out of pity, but of course, Death had interfered and warned them that they won't be able to board the train if they carry the abomination with them.

And the creature had been there ever since as far as Death recalled.

Forever tormented with the sight of people joyously meeting their love ones and leaving for the next great adventure.

Death had to admit that he had enjoyed watching the once-Dark Lord whined, moaned, cried and wriggled its way towards the train, even if his attempts were futile.

However, at the moment, Death was in a rather generous mood.

* * *

"Why are you giving me the chance to live again?" Tom Riddle asked suspiciously as he stood in front of the cloaked figure.

He had been rather astonished when Death had come and started speaking to him. At first, he had been relieved when he was transformed back to what resembled to be his seventeen-year old self, but most of all, he was wary about Death's sudden interest in his future.

"What do you really want?" He repeated, narrowing his dark blue eyes.

"For you to learn to love and protect the people close to you," came Death's immediate response, while silently thinking _, "And for you to provide me some sort of entertainment."_

Of course, the once-Dark Lord wouldn't understand if Death had voiced out his other reason. If you had existed as long as Death existed, suffering from boredom was inevitable. You were bound to seek out other ways to entertain yourself while ushering the dead into the afterlife.

And one such entertainment was giving a certain Dark Lord the chance to live again, but with one condition of course.

Upon hearing Death's answer, Tom inwardly sneered at the word ''love'', which was still a foreign notion to him even after nearly an eternity of watching souls getting reunited with their love ones in the limbo he had been forced into.

It still begrudge him to see those people so happy while he had been suffering beneath the bench, trapped in an infantile form forever. It had been a horrifying experience that Tom didn't plan on going back soon.

Thus, Tom wasn't going to look at the gift horse in the mouth and simply ignore the possibility of living in the mortal realm once more. Even if it means learning to love and protect others, which was unlikely to happen. Those emotions were for the weak, and Tom wasn't one.

"And if I revert back to my old ways, then what will you do to me?" Tom inquired with a calculating gleam in his eyes.

"Then, consider your life forfeit. If you as much as do something that will go against our deal, then you will die." Death warned.

There was contemplative pause while Tom mulled things over.

"And what if I do… _things_ that are considered evil to most, but in fact, is done for the sake of love, and to protect others?"

Death considered this for a few seconds, and he had to grudgingly admit that the man-boy had him there.

Tom Riddle was waiting for him to answer.

"Go on." Death said instead in a crisp tone, deciding to listen to what he fear was a loophole to his plans.

Tom placed his hands behind his back, intertwining his fingers together as he said, "You say that I will be reborn in a world of ninjas, of a world where killing is a norm, and people live in shadows. It is a place fraught with a multitude of practices that are mostly considered inhumane and nefarious in the previous world that I had lived. And since you have decided to place me in a Shinobi household, doesn't that entail that I will have to follow the bloody path of the shinobi, and kill as per order? To kill in able to protect these Villages you speak of?"

Death remained silent.

"If so, then I will live a short life after all. I will die one way or the other, even with or without your interference on the matter. Therefore, the condition that you have set are rather pointless, and very contradictory to what you intend for me to do. You threatened to take my life away if I kill someone, and yet you put me in a world where I may have no choice but to kill and defend myself, or other people I may come to care about. How do you expect me to survive long?"

Tom asked, his face devoid of emotion.

 _With your wit about you, of course._ Death mused, staring at him. He had to admire the man's intelligence. Another reason he had chosen him for his little game.

"Fine. You are allowed to kill at your discretion, but I will be the judge if the deaths are within the parameters of our condition. Since the body you are to inhabit belongs to a member of the most powerful Shinobi Clan, it can't be helped that you must follow the same path as the rest of your family." _And it will be totally boring if you run away and live as a civilian._ Death added in thought.

"Hence, you are allowed to kill as expected of your future profession. You may be able to kill so long as you do so for the sake of your Village, your love ones, and within any good reasons that I will be the judge of. I will be watching your progress, and take everything you do into account."

"Good, then we have a deal." Tom said, unfolding his hands behind his back. "Is there anything else that I need to know?"

"There is nothing more to know that you can't learn from the Mortal World." Death lied, thinking of the other surprise that he had in store for the previous Dark Lord in the future.

Tom Riddle smiled a dangerous smile, when he said: "Well then, when shall I meet my new family?"

* * *

Death watched as Tom Riddle was born.

He watched as the newborn baby was carried to the dark-haired woman on the hospital bed and was named Itachi; the first born Heir to the Uchiha Clan.

Afterwards, Death went back to his realm and started perusing the list of names in the Fate archive. He had to choose another future unborn vessel for another soul; the soul of his Master, Harry Potter, which Death had kept safe for the next rebirthing process.

Death wondered how Harry would react once he find out about Tom Riddle. Perhaps Harry Potter would be furious at him. Then, Death had no choice but to make his Master forget his previous lives, Harry's connection to him so that he can start anew. This wasn't the first time that Death had done it. After all, his Master had been reborn around twenty times over now.

Nonetheless, to make the game more entertaining, Death was going to give the previous-Dark Lord a heads up, before planting his Master into the body that he had finally chosen from the List of the Fated.

Death had chosen three future prospects, and they were:

1\. Uchiha Sasuke

2\. Uzumaki Naruto

3\. Haruno Sakura

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Another idea of mine that just burrowed itself in my brain. Since Tom Riddle and Uchiha Itachi are my two favorite male characters, I just couldn't resist writing something like this. I'll get back to this story once I have completely outlined the plot. This is actually the first time that I've written an HPxNaruto crossover, but it won't be the last because I have other ideas that are begging to be written in my head. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think. ^-^


End file.
